Movie Reviews

Gunslingers and Lawmen

L. Shirley | fountain valley, ca United States | 04/05/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This review refers to Volume 13 of the "Great American Western" series by Platinum Disc...

Volume 13 of the Great American Western series is devoted to gunfighters and the lawmen that pursued them. There are 4 films on this single disc edition that have some great stars and will make for a fun and enjoyable weekend for the Western lover.

First up from 1974 is "The Gun And The Pulpit". Marjoe Gortner is fast on the draw, and a famous gunfighter. When he is set up on a fake murder charge, he hides out in a small town and poses as a preacher. The townsfolk are in awe of this preacher who uses a six-shooter to turn the bad guys into believers! Lots of fun.The film also stars Pamela Sue Martin, Slim Pickens and Estelle Parsons. It is in color and Directed by Daniel Petrie.

"Boot Hill" from 1969 is a spaghetti western, with a mix of American and Italian actors. A traveling circus becomes involved with some really bad hombres, when they save the life of the man who is after them. But when the bad guys claim the life of one of their own, they team up with the hero to help stop the desperados in their tracks. The film stars Terrence Hill and Woody Strode and is also known as " Boot Hill:Trinity Rides Again". Also look for Victor Buono, Bud Spencer and Lionel Stander. In color directed by Giuseppe Colizzi.

Mickey Rooney is a real treat to watch and adds a few laughs to, "My Outlaw Brother". He's a city slicker from New York and comes out west to find his big brother who he has idealized all these years. He meets up and travels with a lawmen on the trail of an really bad outlaw, and as it turns out, they are both looking for the same person! The fabulous cast includes Robert Preston, Robert Stack and and Wanda Hendrix. It's a Black and White, made in 1951. Directed by Elliot Nugent.

Last, but cetainly not least is "The Gunfighters". it's an excellent and captivating documentary, which appears to be made recently(maybe the early 90's). It uses Hollywood film footage and old photographs to delve into the lives and psyche of notorious outlaws and the lawmen that chased after them. Factual in depth stories on The Dalton Boys, Pat Garrett, Billy the Kid, The Youngers and James Brothers, Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill, The Renos, and Bob Ford are narrated. The Earps and Doc Holiday are also discussed but, not much time is spent on them. The case says it is 1 hour, but this was actually a two-part series that ran about an hour and 20 minutes.

The transfers are not pristeen. There are scratches and graineyness, especially in the older films, and the color films are pretty dated. But if you are a western lover, you really can't go wrong for the price.

Platinum has put together, as far as I can tell now, about 30 of these single discs to choose from. The first ten, seem to feature a particular actor, and the rest seem in most cases to have some sort of theme. You can buy them by the individual volume or in package deals, ranging from 2-10 DVDs in a package.It gets a little confusing, because the multi-packs are also listed by the same name and volume numbers. Usually the buying info will tell you how many discs are in the package(and you can get an idea from the price as well). This Vol 13 is also available in the 10 pack Vol. 2. Each disc comes in it's own keep case, and all the sound is restored in 5.1 audio.All the films are on one side(so far), and each film has about 8 chapter stops.

These packages and films are for the true oater lover. If you're looking for great classics, beautifully restored by the big studios, these packages are probably not for you.